Court Denies Walmart Appeal Of $187.6 Million Judgment

Pennsylvania Walmart employees scored another victory against the company in their case that accused the company of substandard labor practices. A state Superior Court judge panel denied Walmart’s appeal of a $187.6 million judgment in 2006.

According to Reuters, the workers — numbering 187,000 from 1998 to 2006 — claimed the company denied them breaks for meals and rest.

The judges wrote that record reflected that Walmart’s corporate structure pressured store managers into lowering costs by eliminating the breaks and squeezing off-the-clock work out of employees. There is chance that the judgment could be reduced, though, because the judges asked the trial court to recalculate $45.6 million in legal fees , finding that some of the charges were double-counted.

A Walmart spokesman tells Reuters:

“We’re committed to paying our associates for every hour they work and to providing them with meal and rest breaks. That’s our policy and we take it very seriously. In this case, we believe that the trial court’s decision was wrong in a number of respects and we look forward to additional review in the courts.”